Wednesday, September 22, 2010

West Charlotte High football coach Marcus Surratt said there’s no secret to the Lions 4-0 start, the best West Charlotte’s had in seven years.

The Lions were 5-7 in 2009.

“The guys are putting out and working hard,” Surratt said. “They’ve kind of got a little stability now. I don’t know if they’d call it real stability because I sat out last year, but I was a familiar person.”

Surratt, 36 is West Charlotte’s fifth head coach in as many years. He was defensive coordinator in 2008, however, when the Lions won their first conference title in nine seasons. This year, Surratt’s team lost eight players to rezoning in the offseason and there’s only 32 players on varsity and 20 on junior varsity, about half of the norm for each team

“So it’s not like totally starting over,” Surratt said. “It’s more like a second go-round with me. The level of respect is still there. Their tenacity is still there. The will to play was still there. It was a matter of putting it together. It’s a test of how resilient these young men are. I know as an adult, I wouldn’t be able to survive changing wives five times in five years, and I’d equate this almost the same.”

Surratt, whose team plays Hopewell (3-1) at home Friday, said his players have had to learn a new system every year they’ve been in school, something particularly hard on senior quarterback Ahmad Brown. Brown is working under his fourth offensive coordinator in four seasons.

“Sometimes it looks like we’re making bad decisions out there,” Surratt said, “but it’s a learning curve for him.”

Brown has rushed 41 times for 293 yards this season and completed 14 passes for 208. He’s gotten better every game. He ran 12 times for 43 yards and completed one pass for nine yards against West Meck to start the season. In the Lions’ last game against Independence Sept. 18, Brown rushed 11 times for 171 yards and completed four passes for 71.

West Charlotte tailback Scoot Simmons, a Duke recruit, has rushed for 480 yards. He averages 6.4 yards per carry and has topped 100 yards in three of four games.

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comments:

Anonymous
said...

Surratt and has make a difference. He along with the new AD and coaches really care about the kids! Before they took the field, Surratt lead parents, coaches and community volunteers in cleaning the field house, painting it and just making things nice for the kids! He demands that they take Pride in what they do and it shows. He has made a very positive impact on the kids. Continued good luck!

On most high school teams coaches dress 60+ players when actually only about 25 contribute. I am sure West Charlotte does not have to worry about parents complaining about playing time. The kids on this team are all obviously contributing with the success they have had thus far. Good story!